Violence in schools is not a new phenomenon, but controlling violence is difficult because violence is promoted and legitimized by the media and political leaders. Children receive mixed messages when violence is construed as a legitimate way of achieving political and military objectives. Many teachers receive no training on how to deal with violence, and individuals responsible for enforcing school discipline often have no legitimacy or credibility in the eyes of students. When adults in schools do not understand young people's experiences and communicate with them in meaningful ways, it becomes almost impossible to develop a safe and respectable school environment. In urban schools in particular, most teachers do not live in the communities where they work and thus have limited knowledge of their students outside the school setting. In addition, schools typically rely on ineffective methods to deal with violence. The threat of suspension or expulsion may not mean much to some children, particularly to those who have already experienced failure in school or who may not attend school regularly. The importance of identifying factors that contribute to violence in schools and the need to consider school violence in the larger family and community context is stressed. 17 references and 1 figure